Toney, Region 4 director for the Environmental Protection Agency, already spent much of her day meeting with public officials and elected leaders. This was her time to meet with people most impacted by her agency's presence in their community. Nearly a third of the room had arrived with her, all senior EPA staff members.

On the way to the meeting, Toney pulled over to visit locals and survey infrastructure not necessarily on her planned route.

"I ended up on a couple of people's porches this morning," she said. "We were in different areas because that's what helped me understand what's going on in people's communities. You can't do that by always sitting behind a desk, which is why I'm here."

The series of meetings Tuesday were the latest high-level EPA activities that brought together residents and officials to discuss cleanup work and long-term plans in neighborhoods where homes have long stood next to heavy industry and railroads.

The cleanup and beyond:

The Birmingham tour stressed a theme of federal commitment to cleaning and restoring the superfund areas North Birmingham neighborhoods of Harriman Park, Collegeville and Fairmount. Cleanup is the beginning of revitalization, Toney said.

The EPA tested about 1,100 properties in the area. Of those, about 400 properties had high levels of contaminants and 52 were labeled high priority.

"Our environmental response here in North Birmingham is really a regional response to help you address a number of concerns in many different ways," Toney said.

Toney told the group of largely senior citizens that the goal is to transform the area into a place where younger generations would want to return and live. She compared the area to her own hometown of Greenville, Miss., where she had served as mayor.

"We want this to have a place where our children come back to," she said.

Toney, was appointed by President Obama in January to the EPA region which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee.

Both residents and environmental advocates peppered EPA staff with questions and comments on the state and future of the area.

Chester Wallace expressed frustration at the site of large industrial logs just across the street from the recreation center. Wallace, who has lived in Collegeville all his life, said he has a vision for his neighborhood.

"I have a vision for this and I'm very serious about it," Wallace said. "I grew up in this area. I've seen, I saw and I know."

Birmingham Mayor William Bell said planning will continue in the area and promised city resources in each step of the process.

"Everybody in here is working with you to find a way to help this community," Bell said.

Bell recalled in 2010 when a television reporter stuck a microphone in his face and asked him what he was going to do to improve conditions in North Birmingham.

"I had no idea what she was talking about," he said. "I had to bring myself up speed very quickly about what this community was doing. It's not going to happen overnight."

Strong affirmation:

Birmingham Councilman William Parker, who represents the area, called Toney's visit affirmation that the EPA and its partner organizations are committed to the current cleanup and long-term revitalization of the area.

"Collaboration was the word of the day," he told AL.com Wednesday. "This indicates that all eyes are paying attention to this problem here in North Birmingham. This is a high priority for the regional administrator, and I know it's a high priority for the city of Birmingham and we have to improve the quality of life for the citizens in the North Birmingham community."

Parker underscored the importance of community involvement in the process.

About $250 million has been leveraged through partnerships and reinvestments in the Spartanburg neighborhood since EPA community intervention and citizen action.

The Birmingham group next will also travel to Atlanta for further meetings with EPA officials.

"We have to collaborate and reach out on federal, state and local levels, along with foundations interacting and working hand-in-hand with the community," Parker said. "We want to continue the learning of best practices from other parts of the county to improve housing, improve the parks and improve the infrastructure needs and overall just improve the quality of life."